Cello lessons near Century City

Cello Lessons near Centry City

All levels

We work with total beginners to the most advanced students.

All Ages

We work with total beginners to the most advanced students.

All Styles

We offer lessons in Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, R&B.

At Angeles Academy of Music, it’s our goal to provide the best quality private voice lessons near you. Central to Los Angeles in Westwood Village, we are easily accessible from Santa monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Centruy City, and Culver City. Our Cello lessons are open to all ages and levels, and for children ages five and up. We also specialize in lessons for adults. For almost ten years, we have helped thousands on thier musical journey. Our talented, friendly, and qualified faculty can help you learn any style or genre of music, and lay the foundation for proper cello technique in the process. Learning to play an instrument has enormous benefits both for kids and adults, including improved self esteem and confidence. You will learn how to sit with the cello, how to hold your bow, how to produce great sound and how to perform. More advanced cello students learn to refine their technique and develop artistry and musicality. Our instructors are trained to not only get you the skill and technique you need, but also how to keep in fun and engaging by working on the music YOU love.

Cello Classes for Kids

Our instructors love to work with total beginners, and know how to guide students through to an advanced level. Kids can enjoy recials and masterclasses together.

Cello Lessons for Adults

We have a large group of adult cello students that enjoy weekly lessons with us. One of the benefits of studying with us as an adult is our adult recitals where you get to share your playing with similar students at the same level.

Why Study the Cello with us?

Great Instructors “a great school is just an amazing group of teachers.”

In our hiring process, we filter hundreds of prospective instructors in search of the qualities that make a great instructor. There are four qualities we are looking for. The first is a strong, positive personality. This is just essential to keeping you excited about music, and engaged during lessons. Secondly, we look for the instructor’s ability to create intelligent, achievable goals customized to your needs. Great teachers will help you learn the techniques and skill you need, but do it though the music you love. Thirdly, a great instructor is intuitive. They have the sensitivity to know if what they are teaching you is being understood, and if their delivery is effective, (Keeping the energy and excitement high). Finally, we look for outstanding educational credentials. Our instructors possess degrees from some of the finest music schools in the world, places like Juilliard, USC, Berkley School of Music, Indiana University, and Royal Conservatory of London.

University Trained

Background Checked

Warm Personalities

Years of Experience

Recitals and Mastercalsses

Students can interact with pears by practicipating regular recitals and masterclasses, consistency you can’t get from a small private voice studio. We have regular spring and fall recitals that all our students are welcome to participate in. These are age and level appropriate, and often include certificates, metal, and trophies for achievement.

Recitals we Offer

Beginning- Intermediate Level Recitals

Intermediate -Advanced Recital

Honors Recitals

Owned and Operated by Emmy Award winning Composer

In choosing a music school, its very imporant to select one that is musician owned. Angeles Academy of Music is owned by Emmy award winning composer Nathan Pangrazio. He is known for collaborating with some of the biggest directors and producers in Hollywood, including Steve Tisch, Mitchell Block and Vanessa Block. His accoplishments in the music field, combined with years of experience as a performer, composer and educator come together to make him uniquely qualified to operate a high end music school. Nathan has crafted Angeles Academy from his extensive experience in music education, with a mission to make sure each student gets the tools and the inspiration they need to meet their individual potential in music.

Open 7 Days a week for busy families

We know families in the Los Angeles area are busy, and thats why we are open 7 days a week, providing lessons from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Sundays.

Additionally, we offer month to month lessons with no long term contracts or semester minimums.

Contact us today to reserve your space! Lessons are first come first serve

To create the perfect hand position for the cello, start by making a C shape with your left hand. Next place this on the fingerboard, with your thumb on the neck of the cello, and with fingers perpendicular to the strings. The shoulder should be relaxed and flexible so that the weight of the arm aids in holding down the strings. If this is done properly, the thumb is not needed to press down the strings. Also, the left shoulder should “float” a winglike feeling of flexibility. There should be a strait line from the elbow through the wrist to the pinky for proper alignment. Once the position looks good, students begin to learn to tap and to shift. Tapping helps to strengthen the hands position, while shifting helps to keep the left hand flexible and mobile which will be necessary for more advanced playing. More advanced students will learn to perfect their hand position. Often the smallest adjustments can unlock huge improvements.

Practicing a good bow hold is crucial to good sound production. Similar to the other hand, a good bow hold is controlled, yet flexible. Place your right hand on the bow, with your thumb gently inside the frog, (the cutout just before the hairs of the bow. Lay the remaining finger over the top of the bow, slightly spread out. Curve the pinky slightly and place it near the end of the bow, on top, in a way that it can control the tilt of the bow. It takes some practice for the pinky to get used to controlling the tilt of the bow, and to be well balanced. The bow hold should never be squeezed. Next, when drawing the bow across the strings, make sure that the shoulder is low and relaxed, and that the joints of the elbow and wrist are interconnected. The bow eventually should feel as an extension of the arm, rather that seperate.

Sight reading is an important skill for any aspiring musician. To begin, students are taught about treble and bass clefs, (different ranges), and to identify notes that are on the lines, and notes that are in the spaces between the lines. To remember the notes on the lines, students learn phrases such as, “every good boy does fine” The first letter of each word are the notes on the lines of the treble clef from bottom to top. E, G, B, D, F. The notes that are in the spaces between the lines spell the word “Face”, F, A, C, E. As students become faster at identifying these notes based on these simple phrases, the phrases wear off and they simply recognize the note for what it is. In addition to identifying notes, sight reading includes understanding rhythm. Rhythm is differentiated in notation by notes filled in or empty, and with different stems and beams. These indicate different speeds of notes. Even the most accomplished musicians can often improve their sight reading. More advanced training involves pushing speed and looking ahead, and through creating progressive goals.

Music theory teaches us how recognize and identify patterns across all music. It is fascinating because it starts to bring together a clearer understanding, and patterns once complex become simple. Imagine a complicated math equation that actually has a very simple answer.

Learning theory involves a mixture of ear training, (the ability to identify harmonies and melodies), as well as identifying and labeling these patterns on paper. Harmony is seen in notation vertically, and is often what might be described as the background in which a melody is set. Harmony consists of chords, (3 or more notes heard simultaneously), and can be Major, Minor, Diminished, and several others. These differences in sound are often described emotionally; happy, sad, or scary. The beginning of music theory training might involve identifying the difference between a couple of these chords. Ultimately, advanced theory students are able to write out the music they hear, and to analyze harmonies and melodies in musical scores. A full grasp on the structure of music can take years to develop.

Frequently Asked Questions about Voice Lessons

Why choose the Cello?

Of all the instruments, cello is perhaps the most expressive. It’s range encompasses the human vocal range, and it could be argued, best represents humanity. Compared with other string instuments, it is probably the easiest to start. This is because it’s size and the way it is held is very natural. The rich versitility of the instrument is also appealing. It can be played in an ensemble, blends well with other strings, and then can be featured as a solo instument. Because the strings are much bigger than the violin, the margin for error is less. This can make it more attractive in the early stages of learning. Finally, as the cello typically plays only one note at a time, music for the cello is written on a single line instead of two lines. This makes sight reading much easier than the piano.

When should my child start taking Cello?

Usually age 5 and up. The question is challenging to answer because it depends on so many factors. If there is a real genuine interest, how much practicing is done at home, and of course a natural affinity for the instrument or not.
Young students should be gently encouraged to practice with an emphasis on keeping it fun.

How long does it take to learn to play the Cello?

There is no set answer of how long it takes to learn to play the cello. With regular practice a basic level of playing can be accomplished in a few months. Most of our students take lessons on a long term-basis because they want to be constantly improving and they find the lessons enjoyable. The best results are found with consistent practice and performance goals.

Is it too late to learn the Cello?

This is a question we frequently get from adults students. We believe that its never too late to learn anything, and feel that in fact adults have some advantages that can in fact help them learn faster. For example, many adult have a more refined ability to understand the instrument intellectually, and typically a longer attention span. We encourage any adult students to just jump in, start learning and enjoy.

I am pretty convinced Pangrazio has the best piano lessons in LA. My 3 children have been taking piano at the school with Jesica for the last 1 1/2 years. Jesica is a brilliant and kind teacher. Her patiences is truly extraordinary. My children started at ages 3, 5, 6. It is quite astonishing how proficient they are on the piano with only one, half hour, lesson a week.

My daughter takes violin from Isabel and piano with Jesica. We could not be more happy. She is 10 years old and a total beginner on piano and takes violin at her elementary school but in a group setting. Honestly, they are all so flexible and easy to work with. Nathan is kind and easy to deal with. If you want excellent teachers plus a flexible schedule and a fair price, I highly recommend them. I’m so happy with the results and my daughter loves her teachers.

I highly recommend Angeles Academy of Music for ALL types of singers! I had previously taken singing lessons in middle school but now I’m more serious about my voice and learning the skills to correctly use it for singing! Pangrazio has great instructors who are patient and very well trained to help you grow and develop!

My husband and I are both very pleased to have discovered Angeles Academy of Music! Nathanael Pangrazio has been teaching our 6-year-old twin daughters piano and voice lessons for nearly a year now. He is so patient with them, (works splendidly with children), was able to channel their individual talents and apply a curriculum to each of their requirements. We wouldn’t consider seeking elsewhere.

I am pretty convinced Pangrazio has the best piano lessons in LA. My 3 children have been taking piano at the school with Jesica for the last 1 1/2 years. Jesica is a brilliant and kind teacher. Her patiences is truly extraordinary. My children started at ages 3, 5, 6. It is quite astonishing how proficient they are on the piano with only one, half hour, lesson a week.

My daughter takes violin from Isabel and piano with Jesica. We could not be more happy. She is 10 years old and a total beginner on piano and takes violin at her elementary school but in a group setting. Honestly, they are all so flexible and easy to work with. Nathan is kind and easy to deal with. If you want excellent teachers plus a flexible schedule and a fair price, I highly recommend them. I’m so happy with the results and my daughter loves her teachers.